I have a mir 1b on the way I would have loved one of the 1958 ones but this was a bargain at Ģ22. question, what do the industar lenses bring to the party? Are they outstanding in any way? Also, re swirly bokeh and general performance, is there much difference between the Helios 44-2 and the one I have, the 44-4?

I have a mir 1b on the way I would have loved one of the 1958 ones but this was a bargain at Ģ22. question, what do the industar lenses bring to the party? Are they outstanding in any way? Also, re swirly bokeh and general performance, is there much difference between the Helios 44-2 and the one I have, the 44-4?

You will like the MIR, I have a few pics taken with it in this thread. Mine is MIR-1SH (Iīve read that it was made for schools (???)), but itīs the same as your 1-B.
The most common Industar you will find in M42 mount is the 50-2. Itīs the smallest lens that I have, the IQ is not that bad and fits in any pocket so you can always have it with you. Other one is the 50mm Industar 61 L/Z Macro (donīt get confused with the 61 L/D, itīs a completely different lens). Whatīs more remarkable about it is its particularly star-shaped bokeh, very similar to the Volna-9 (I canīt compare because I only have the Volna), but the Industar is smaller, lighter and cheaper.
Usually, the older the Helios, the more they swirl and the newer are the sharpest. So the 44-2īs bokeh should swirl a bit more.

Scrub that, its an industar 61, the rather nice black and silver version. I have got it, attached to a zorki 4 for Ģ18. Even if it is pants it won't be a great loss but I have managed to get something good from every lens I own so I am sure it will be fine

Scrub that, its an industar 61, the rather nice black and silver version. I have got it, attached to a zorki 4 for Ģ18. Even if it is pants it won't be a great loss but I have managed to get something good from every lens I own so I am sure it will be fine

Ooh, is that good? Is the L/D usable or still a rangefinder? I currently have a Pentax K3 & K30. I am thinking of selling my K30 and getting a mirrorless. Reason being, I use my K30 for vintage glass, purely because I hate it languishing. Question is, can you use rangefinder lenses on mirror less?

Ooh, is that good? Is the L/D usable or still a rangefinder? I currently have a Pentax K3 & K30. I am thinking of selling my K30 and getting a mirrorless. Reason being, I use my K30 for vintage glass, purely because I hate it languishing. Question is, can you use rangefinder lenses on mirror less?

Iīm afraid itīs not that good. The good one is the 61L/Z. Iīve seen 61L/Ds adapted to M42 but I donīt think they will be able to focus more than a few meters.
With a Sony A7 (for example) you can use RF lenses (with the proper adapter) because the sensor is very close to the mount (quickly explained).

Maybe or maybe not, at least as far as naming goes. All I-61 in M42 mount are labeled L/D L/Z. Most (all?) of the black with silver trim accent I-61 (so-called "black") in LTM are labeled "И-61Л/Д". Black and silver banded ("zebra") and silver with black accents ("panda") in LTM are simply labeled "И-61". All I-61 in both mounts have lanthanum-doped glass regardless of labeling.

Soooo...all are potentially very decent performers. @Swift1 has made some very credible images with his LTM "zebra" on his Zorki 4.